Semi-Daily Scribbles

The old man who owns the convenience store at the end of the block gave me a few words of advice this morning as I dashed in to pick up half-and-half and tampons.

"If you're just concerned with putting one foot in front of the other," he said, "then it's the detour you'll always want to take. There's no better view and no quicker way to get to where you didn't know you wanted to go." As I thanked him, dropping my change into a cleaned out cat food tin next to the register, I thought about where I could wander with my bag of essentials. Before I realized it, brain tangled up in thoughts of a romantic escape, my feet stopped moving forward. I looked up. Nope, this was not my apartment building. Judging from the scenery, I'd walked several blocks out of my way. That's when the shopkeeper's voice boomed in my head.

"Funny thing, advice. Always best to ignore what you've been told if you want to get any value from it." I closed my eyes hoping to chase away the riddles, or at least find myself in familiar territory when I opened them. Neither of these things happened, and, to make matters more annoying, it began to rain. Drops turned to splats, which joined up to form sheets, but I did get to read the sign on the building before my glasses fogged up.

Maps and Atlases for the Traveler Who Intends on Getting Lost

My feet began to move again, up five steps to a landing, and through a glass paneled door.